› added 9 years ago

92

TIL that NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson calculated the trajectory for the space flight of Alan Shepard by hand, and was called on by NASA officials to verify the computer’s calculations of John Glenn’s orbit around Earth.

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gDxX TIL college textbook prices have risen 1,041% since 1977 - more than three times inflation as a whole
ep6lb TIL that the informal foot paths people create are called "desire paths". In Finland, planners wait until first snowfall and then plan their paved paths around where people's tracks appear.
5J8P TIL Alcohol was found to be the most harmful drug to society and the fourth most harmful drug to users
NXZXP TIL how Canada has a maple syrup emergency reserve, and that someone actually managed to pull off a heist on it
R5D07 TIL Pythagoras was supposedly the first person to call the heavens, the cosmos, for in his eyes, this celestial ocean embodied perfection, and was intricately adorned with infinite beauty and animated life. And he was also the first to call himself a philosopher. In fact, he coined the term.